THE GRAVE CREEK MOUND AT MOUNDSVILLE
Description from
Mills, William C. 1914
Archaeological Atlas of Ohio. The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society.
Images from the Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex, Moundsville, West Virginia.

"The flats of Grave
creek are a large scope of bottom land in Marshall county, (West)
Virginia, and on the eastern shore of the Ohio river, which here
runs due south. They extend from north to south
about four miles, and contain about three thousand acres. Big and
Little Grave creeks both empty into the Ohio at these flats, from
which
they derive their names. The creeks themselves doubtless derived
their
names from various tumuli or mounds, commonly called Indian graves,
which are found on these flats, and especially between the two creeks.

These flats are composed of first and second bottoms, The first
bottom is about two hundred yards wide and runs the whole length
of the flats.
The great flood of 1832 was about ten feet deep on the first, but
lacked
about ten to twenty feet of the height of the second bottom, on
which all
the ancient Indian works and mounds are situated; no signs of them
being on the lower land. This (the largest) mound is surrounded
by various other mounds and ancient works, and in respect to the
surrounding localities, the situation, as respects defence, was
well chosen, on the brow
of the second bottom, and partially encompassed by steeps and ravines.

The mammoth mound is sixty-nine feet high. Its circumference at
the base is over three hundred yards. It is the form of a cone,
and has
a flat top of fifty feet in diameter. This flat on the top of the mound,
until lately, was dish shaped, The depth of the depression in the
centre was three feet, and its width forty feet. This depression
was doubtless occasioned by the falling in of two vaults, which
were originally constructed in the mound, but which afterwards
fell in; the earth sinking over them, occasioned the depression
on the top. On the 19th of March, 1838, we commenced an excavation
in this mound. We commenced on the north side, and excavated towards
the center. Our horizontal shaft was ten feet high and seven feet
wide, and ran on the natural surface of the ground or floor of the
mound.

"At the distance of one hundred and eleven feet we came to
a vault that had been excavated in the natural earth before the
mound was commenced, This vault was dug out eight by twelve feet
square and
seven feet deep. Along each side and the two ends upright timbers
were placed, which supported timbers that were thrown across the vault,
and formed for a time its ceiling. These timbers were covered over
with
loosely hewn stone, of the same quality as is common in the neighborhood.
These timbers rotted and the stone tumbled into the vault; the
earth of the mound following, quite filled it. The timbers were
entirely deranged, but could be traced by the rotten wood, which
was in such a
condition as to be rubbed to pieces between the fingers. This vault
was
as dry as any tight room; its sides very nearly corresponded with the
cardinal points of the compass, and it was lengthwise from north
to south.

"In this vault were found two human skeletons, one
of which had no ornaments or artificial work of any kind about
it. The other was surrounded by about six hundred and fifty
ivory beads, and an ivory ornament about six inches long, flat
on one side and oval-shaped on the other. (This was a perforated
tablet, with incurving sides. Like the beads, it was made of
shell instead of "ivory.") The beads resemble button
molds, and vary in diameter from three to five-eighths of an
inch. In thickness they vary from that of common pasteboard
to one-fourth of an inch. Above I count only the whole ones
left.

"After searching this vault, we commenced a shaft ten
feet in diameter, at the center of the mound on top, and in
the bottom of the depression before spoken of. At the depth
of thirty-four or thirty-five feet above the vault at the bottom,
we discovered another vault, which occupied the middle space
between the bottom and top. It had been constricted in every
respect like that at the base of the mound, except that its
base lay east and west, or across that at the base, but perpendicularly
over it. It was equally filled with earth, rotten wood, stones,
etc., by the falling in of the ceiling. The floor of this vault
was also sunken by the falling in of the lower one, with the
exception of a portion of one end.

"In the upper vault was found one skeleton only, but many
trinkets, as seventeen hundred ivory beads, five hundred sea shells
of the involute
species, that were worn as beads, and five copper bracelets that
were about
the wrist bones of the skeleton. There were also one hundred and fifty
pieces of isinglass (mica), and the stone, facsimile drawing
of which
I send you herewith (this is the famous "Grave Creek Tablet.")
. The
beads found in this vault were like those found in the lower one, as
to
size, materials, decay, etc. The five bracelets weigh seventeen ounces.
The pieces of isinglass are but little thicker than writing paper,
and are
generally from one and a half to two inches square'; each piece had
two
or three holes through it about the size of a knitting needle, most
likely
for the purpose of sewing or in some way fastening them to the clothing.
"The beads were found about neck and breast bones of the skeletons.
The sea shells were in like manner distributed over the neck and
breast bones of the skeleton in the upper vault. The bracelets were
around
the wrist bones. The pieces of isinglass were strewn all over the body.
The stone with the characters on it was found about two feet from
the
skeleton.

"The skeleton first found in the lower vault, was found lying
on
the back, parallel with and close to the west side of the vault. The
feet
were about the middle of the vault; its body was extended at full length,
The left arm was lying along the left side; the right arm as if
raised over the head, the bones lying near the right ear and crossed
over the
crown of the head. The head of this skeleton was toward the south.
There were no ornaments found with it, The earth had fallen and
covered it over before the ceiling fell, and thus protected, it
was not much
broken.

"The second skeleton found in this vault, and which had the
trinkets about it, lay on the west side, with the head to the east,
or in the
same direction as that on the opposite side. The
feet of this one were
likewise near the center of the west side. The earth had not crumbled
down over it before the ceiling fell, consequently it was much broken,
(as was also that in the upper vault.) There is nothing in the remains
of any of these skeletons which differs materially from those of
common
people.

"The skeleton in the upper vault lay with its feet against
the south
side of the vault, and the head towards the northeast. It is highly
probable
that the corpses were all placed in a standing position, and subsequently
fell.

"The mound is composed of the same kind of earth as that around
it, being a fine loamy sand, but differs very much in color from
that of
the natural ground. After penetrating about eight feet with the first
or
horizontal excavation, blue spots began to appear in the earth of
which
the mound is composed. On close examination, these spots were found
to contain ashes and bits of burnt bones. These spots increased
as we
approached the center; at the distance of one hundred and eleven
feet
within, the spots were so numerous and condensed as to give the earth
a clouded appearance, Every part of the mound presents the same
appearance, except near the surface. I am convinced that the blue
spots were occasioned by depositing the remains of bodies consumed
by fire." - Tomlinson,
197, et seq. condensed,

"The mode of its construction appears to have been by carrying
earth in bags or vessels, from the plain, and emptying them out
by hand.
The earth is entirely made-earth, without the least appearance of
stratification.
... The removal of the earth appears to have been made
in small portions, from several points, and at convenient intervals."-
Schoolcraft, Grave Creek, 373,

This clearing was left after Indian Knob Tower's stone remains were
removed by a developer to build a road. Only a small ridge of rocks
remains across the fresh clearing, on the bluff edge overlooking Grave
Creek Mound.

Site Coordinates

Code

Location

Latitude

Longitude

Source

grcrm

Grave Creek Mound

39.91686111

-80.74472222

GPS

4m

Located in Moundsville, WV.

Works
Cited and Further Reading

Mills, William C. 1914 Archaeological Atlas of Ohio. The Ohio State
Achaeological and Historical Society.